Handover between atc and satellite component of an integrated mss/atc system

ABSTRACT

A communications system comprising a first transceiver and a second transceiver, which system employs a device that measures power over a frequency band from sources other than those monitoring downlink radiation received at a radio terminal from the satellite, and a controller that receives these power measurements to determine on which frequency channel within a band a transmitter is to transmit.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.11/446,992, now allowed, filed 05 Jun. 2006, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The present invention relates to satellite radio telephone systems andmethods. More specifically, the present invention relates to mobilesatellite systems employing an augmented terrestrial component.

It is known that satellite radio telephones have been developed anddeployed throughout the world, especially where topographical conditionspreclude use of conventional mobile radio telephones or fixed wiretelephones, for example in rugged terrain areas or sparsely populatedareas. These systems typically are understood to provide both voice anddata communications so that they may include terminals such as PCSterminals.

Prior art satellite radio telephone systems may be broadly classifiedinto two types: mobile satellite radio telephone systems and fixedsatellite radio telephone systems. In each of these systems one or moresatellites are used to communicate with radio telephones, the satellitesbeing either orbiting satellites or geostationary satellites. Typically,a mobile satellite radio telephone system is designed to communicatewith a plurality of mobile radio telephones of similar size asconventional cellular radio telephones, whereas a fixed satellite radiotelephone system is designed to communicate with a plurality of fixed ornon-mobile radio telephones using permanent or semi-permanent fixedantennas which may be mounted on buildings or homes.

Consequently, it is found the capacity of fixed satellite radiotelephone systems is much larger than that associated with mobilesatellite radio telephone systems where a significantly lower number ofradio telephones are served than in a fixed satellite system.

Generally, the per-satellite capacity of a satellite radio telephone islimited by the amount of satellite power that is expended percommunication circuit in order to establish and maintain communicationswith a radio telephone. In addition, limiting factors such as availablefrequency spectrum and the typically poor frequency reuse of satelliteradio telephone systems impact the per-satellite capacity of thesephones.

Consequently, mobile satellite radio telephone systems have been foundto generally possess much lower capacity than fixed satellite radiotelephone systems. Both regional and global mobile satellite systems arefound to be quite limited in capacity, the regional mobile satellitesystems involving geostationary satellites having, for example, acapacity per satellite of about 10,000 simultaneous radio telephonecommunications, whereas global mobile satellite systems involving bothmedium earth orbiting satellites, or MEOs, or low earth orbitingsatellites, or LEOs, generally have even lower capacity per satelliteranging into the 3,000-4,000 simultaneous radio telephonecommunications.

It is understood that the per-satellite capacity of mobile satelliteradio telephone systems is the amount of power that is expended percommunication by the satellite payload in order to establish andmaintain communications with the small hand held mobile phones. Thepractical limitations involved in forming a very large number of spotbeams from the satellite often limits frequency reuse for mobilesatellite radio telephone systems resulting in generally low capacitiesof said systems.

Prior art mobile satellite systems employing radio telephones or MSS areknown in the art; for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,286 to Globalstar®a satellite communication system having at least one, but usually aplurality, of orbiting satellites over a terrestrial satellite servicearea, a satellite control center and a plurality of terrestrialcommunication links wherein call setup is controlled by processors anddatabases onboard the orbiting satellites and where only after thesatellite link for the communication channels is completed, does controland switching rely on ground based systems such that the orbitingsatellites are integrated into a ground based telephone network andtariff structure.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,297 to Globalstar® there is disclosed a radiocommunication system capable of servicing a roaming user or the likeoutside the range of terrestrial relay stations which includes a packetswitched network and database of roaming users and a satellitecommunications system having at least one, but usually a plurality, oforbiting satellites over a terrestrial satellite service area, asatellite control center and a plurality of terrestrial communicationlinks, wherein call setup is controlled by processors and databasesonboard the orbiting satellites and wherein only after the satellitelink for the communication channels is completed, does control andswitching rely on ground based equipment such that the orbitingsatellites are integrated to a ground based telephone network and tariffstructures. Similar systems and improvements thereto, as found in theU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,303,286 and 5,715,297 patents, include those defined inU.S. Pat. No. 5,903,837 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,072,768.

Various other systems have been proposed as depicted in the FCC filingfor “Authority to Launch and Operate a Satellite System to ProvideMobile Satellite Services in the 2 GHz Bands” dated Nov. 3, 2000,relating to the Globalstar® system, which is hereby incorporated byreference; the FCC filing in the matter of Mobile Satellite VenturesSubsidiary, LLC for “Minor Amendment of Application to Launch andOperate a Replacement L Band Mobile Service Satellite at 101° West”dated Nov. 18, 2003; and the FCC filing by Thoraya which depicts a oneGEO satellite system to provide a satellite telephone service; and theIridium system produced by Motorola generally described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,918,176 and 5,490,087, in addition to the above recitedGlobalstar® systems.

Prior art methods to increase the relatively limited capacity of mobilesatellite radio telephone systems experiencing capacity bottlenecks orhot spots which are developed in congested areas of the mobile satelliteradio telephone system where the mobile satellite radio telephone system(MSS) does not have enough capacity to accommodate all users, so that itis difficult to increase the capacity of the MSS in these congestedareas.

Consequently, methods and systems to increase the capacity of MSSinclude allowing an MSS to use some of the capacity of a fixed satellitesystem in areas of congestion, such as defined in U.S. Pat. No.6,052,586.

In addition to improving cellular satellite communication systems andmethods to provide wireless communications employing at least one spacebased component such as one or more satellites that are configured towirelessly communicate with a plurality of radio telephones or othertypes of cellular terminals, hybrids of satellite and terrestrialsystems have been developed and used wherein terrestrial networksenhance cellular satellite communications system availability,efficiency and/or economic viability by terrestrially reusing at leastsome of the frequency bands allocated to cellular satellitecommunication systems. Difficulty is experienced for cellular satellitecommunication systems to reliably serve densely populated areas wherethe satellite signal may be blocked by high rise structures or may notpenetrate into buildings. In such cases, the satellite spectrum may beunderutilized or unutilized in such areas. It is found that the use ofterrestrial retransmission can reduce or eliminate this problem. Thus,the capacity of the overall system can be increased significantly by theintroduction of terrestrial retransmission since terrestrial frequencyreuse can be much denser than that of a satellite-only system. It isfurther found that capacity can be enhanced where it may be mostlyneeded, for example, densely populated urban/industrial/commercial areasso that the overall system can become much more economically viable asit is seen to be able to serve a much larger subscriber base.

One example in the prior art of terrestrial reuse of satellitefrequencies is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,332 entitled “SatelliteTelecommunications Repeaters and Retransmission Methods”. Generallydescribed therein, satellite communication repeaters are provided whichreceive, amplify and locally retransmit the downlink signal receivedfrom a satellite, thereby increasing the effect of downlink margin inthe vicinity of the satellite telecommunications repeaters and allowingan increase in the penetration of uplink and downlink signals intobuildings, foliage, transportation vehicles and other objects which canreduce link and margin.

Methods and systems in the prior art allow a satellite radio telephonefrequency to be reused terrestrially within the same satellite cellwhile allowing intrasystem interference to be reduced. These systemsinclude a space based component such as a satellite that is configuredto receive wireless communications from a first radio telephone in asatellite footprint comprising one or more cells over a satellite radiotelephone frequency band. There is also provided an ancillaryterrestrial network comprising one or more ancillary terrestrialcomponents configured to receive wireless communications from a secondradio telephone in the satellite footprint over the satellite radiotelephone frequency band. The wireless communications from the secondradio telephone are also received by the space based component in thesatellite footprint over the satellite radio telephone frequency band asinterference, along with the wireless communications that are receivedfrom the first radio telephone in the satellite footprint over thesatellite radio telephone frequency band. In such cases, an interferencereducer is employed that is responsive to the space based component andto the ancillary terrestrial network and that is configured to reducethe interference from the wireless communications that are received bythe space based component from the first radio telephone in thesatellite footprint over the satellite radio telephone frequency bandusing the wireless communications that are received by the ancillaryterrestrial network from the second radio telephone in the satellitefootprint over the satellite radio telephone frequency band.

Other wireless communications systems including a satellite gatewaycoupled to a communications network and operative to communicate with acommunications satellite include a terrestrial terminal interfacesubsystem operative to communicate with a satellite gateway via thecommunications satellite using a first radio interface and tocommunicate with wireless terminals over a geographic area using asecond radio interface, for example, as defined in U.S. Pat. No.6,856,787.

Other cellular systems comprise a space based system including a firstset of cells and a ground based system including a second set of cells.In such systems the space and ground systems can optionally functionsubstantially autonomously with each using spectrum from at least onepredetermined frequency band, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No.6,859,652.

All of the above recited systems are found to be expensive to fabricate,install and maintain, especially those employing satellitecommunications. Two such systems, Globalstar® and Iridium, each cost inthe billions of dollars to develop, fabricate and launch and potentiallyhundreds of millions of dollars to maintain over their lifetimes. It isthus seen to be imperative to sustain the systems and make themcommercially viable that every avenue be explored to generate revenue,including ATC systems and preferably methods and systems be developedand employed to enhance, improve and/or optimize the systems.

Consequently, prior art systems and methods to address intrasysteminterference and reduction of same have been developed and employed.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,180 a method is disclosed for operating a firstsatellite communication system of a type that operates co-frequency withat least one second transmission system such as a second satellitecommunication system. The method includes steps executed during theoperation of the first satellite communication system, of measuring atleast a plurality of locations within a coverage area of the firstsystem an amount of interference resulting at least in part from the atleast one second transmission system, the amount of interference beingmeasured over a band of frequencies allocated to the first system;transmitting an indication of the measured interference from eachlocation to a central site; and in accordance with the transmittedindications, assigning at least one user terminal to a sub-band offrequencies within the band of frequencies so as to reduce an amount ofinterference experienced by the user terminal.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,943 there is disclosed a method for defining aradio frequency map to be used to isolate negative effects ofundesirable radio frequency emitters on radio device communicationshandheld and stationary. The method includes the steps of measuringC-band power corresponding to an L-band beam as a part of an L-bandfootprint of a communication satellite, calculating various identifiableinterference errors associated with the signal transmission path, andsubtracting the interference errors from the original C-band powermeasurement resulting in a power value corresponding to undesirableradio frequency emitter interference at the location of the L-band beam.The resulting radio frequency map can then be used to reallocatefrequency channels of operation used by radio devices, mobile phones forexample, resulting in power savings in the radio device whilemaintaining a suitable signal to noise ratio.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,879,829 there is disclosed a satellite communicationssystem includes a satellite that is configured to wirelessly communicatewith radioterminals in a satellite coverage area over a satellitefrequency band, and an ancillary terrestrial component that isconfigured to wirelessly communicate with radioterminals in thesatellite coverage area over at least some of the satellite frequencyband, to thereby terrestrially reuse at least some of the satellitefrequency band. Wireless communications with a radioterminal are handedover from the ancillary terrestrial component to the satellite if theradioterminal transmit power exceeds a threshold, and a receivedsatellite signal quality exceeds a threshold, even though theradioterminal is able to wirelessly communicate with the ancillaryterrestrial component. Downlink wireless radiation that is received atthe radioterminal from a satellite may be monitored to determinepotential interference created by the uplink radiation of theradioterminal due to the terrestrial reuse of at least some of thesatellite frequency band.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

There is therefore seen to be a continuing need to monitor interferencein each channel of an MSS system including ancillary terrestrialcomponent (ATC) services.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a communicationsystem including a first transceiver, a first receiver and a firsttransmitter, a second transceiver including a second receiver and asecond transmitter, that communicate with one another and provide formeasurement of power at the gateway to determine which frequency channelwithin a band the first or the second transmitter is to operate.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide methods andsystems for handing over wireless communications in a satellitecommunications system.

A further object of this invention is to provide a satellitecommunications system which includes a satellite that is configured towirelessly communicate with radio terminals in a satellite coverage areaover a satellite frequency band and an ATC that is configured towirelessly communicate with radio terminals in the satellite coveragearea over at least some of the satellite frequency band to therebyterrestrially reuse at least some of the satellite frequency band whileminimizing interference.

Still another object of this invention is to provide systems and methodswhich include a handover system of wireless communications with a radioterminal from the ATC to the satellite if the radio terminal transmitpower exceeds a threshold and a received satellite signal qualityexceeds a threshold.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a satellitecommunications system which includes a handover from the ATC to thesatellite if the radio terminal transmit power exceeds a threshold.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a satellitecommunications system wherein wireless communications with the radioterminal are handed over from the ATC to the satellite if the radioterminal power exceeds an aggregate radio terminal interference limit.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a satellitecommunications system wherein wireless communications with the radioterminal are handed over from the ATC to the satellite if the radioterminal transmit power exceeds a threshold and the received satellitesignal quality exceeds a threshold.

Yet again another object of this invention is to provide a satellitecommunications system wherein wireless communications with the radioterminal are handed over from the ATC to the satellite if the radioterminal transmit power exceeds a threshold, the received satellitesignal quality exceeds a threshold and the radio terminal is apredetermined distance away from the ATC.

Yet again another object of this invention is to provide a satellitecommunications system where wireless communications with the radioterminal are handed over from the ATC to the satellite if the radioterminal transmit power exceeds a threshold, an aggregate radio terminalinterference exceeds a limit, and the received signal quality exceeds athreshold independent of the position of the radio terminal relative tothe ATC.

Another object of this invention is to provide a satellitecommunications system wherein the radio terminals are further configuredto wirelessly communicate with a cellular/PCS base station in acellular/PCS coverage area.

Yet again another object of this invention is to provide a satellitecommunications system wherein wireless communications with a radioterminal are handed over from the ATC to the cellular/PCS base stationif the radio terminal transmit power exceeds a threshold, a receivedsatellite signal quality is below a threshold, an aggregate radioterminal interference exceeds a limit and the radio terminal is at leasta predetermined distance away from the ATC.

Still another object of this invention is to provide different frequencychannels within each MSS provider's authorized ATC band wherein thenumber of ATC subscribers allocated to a given frequency in a combinedMSS/ATC system are monitored to insure that the system does not attemptto overload the channel that is already experiencing self-interference.

Again another object of this invention is to provide a communicationssystem including a first transceiver, a first receiver and a firsttransmitter, a second transceiver including a second receiver and asecond transmitter, that communicate with one another and provide formeasurement of signal to noise ratio at the gateway to determine whichfrequency channel within a band the first or the second transmitter isto operate.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a communicationssystem including a first transceiver, a first receiver and a firsttransmitter, a second transceiver including a second receiver and asecond transmitter, that communicate with one another and provide formeasurement of power at the gateway over a control channel to determinewhich frequency channel within a band the first or the secondtransmitter is to operate.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects of the instant invention are accomplishedgenerally speaking by providing a communication system comprising atleast a first transceiver, including at least a first receiver and afirst transmitter, at least a second transceiver, including a secondreceiver and a second transmitter, which communicate one to the otherwherein the at least second receiver provides power measurements over afrequency band from sources other than those monitoring downlinkradiation received at a radio terminal from a satellite over a frequencyband to determine which frequency channel within a band on which thefirst transmitter is to transmit. These power measurements may betransmitted over a control channel or other suitable means.

In a preferred embodiment, such a first receiver communicates with thesecond receiver and provides power measurements at the gateway over afrequency band which a controller in the second transceiver receives todetermine which frequency channel within a band the first transceiver isto employ to transmit, and which frequency channel is transmitted fromthe second transmitter to the first transceiver.

In an alternative embodiment, signal to noise ratio may be measured inlieu of power to effect the frequency channel within a band that atransmitter is to be employed. In addition, the first transceiver maycommunicate with a plurality of second transceivers. Thus the firsttransceiver may be employed to measure the interference or the powerfrom each transceiver in the second set of transceivers. Alternatively,the second transceiver may communicate with a plurality of a first setof transceivers, thus the second transceiver may be employed to measurethe interference or the power from each transceiver in the first set oftransceivers.

Another embodiment of the system of the instant invention may includethe frequency being transmitted from transceiver 2 to transceiver 1 todetermine frequency for transceiver 1 to transmit to transceiver 2.

In the process of rolling out the augmented terrestrial component or ATCservices in different frequency channels within each mobile satellitesystems providers authorized ATC band, the number of ATC subscribersallocated to a given frequency in a combined MSS/ATC system will requiremonitoring to insure that the system does not attempt to load more usersonto a channel that is already experiencing self-interference due to alarge number of ATC users. The system of the instant invention describesa method and system of monitoring interference in each channel by makingmeasurements, for example, at the gateway of a bent-pipe satellitesystem and assigning new users to other frequencies in either the ATC orMSS mode. The monitoring method employed is premised on the fact thatall signals in the ATC mode after attenuation due to various propagationand pointing losses are received at the satellite's reverse link uplinkantenna, transponder down to feederlink frequencies and received at thegateway of the MSS system. By measuring the interference levels fromsources other than those monitoring downlink radiation received at aradio terminal from a satellite or preferably at the gateway, it ispossible for the system to determine which frequencies are more suitablethan others, that is, will receive less interference than others, forassignment to new users in either ATC or MSS mode for a given beam. Thiswould include both static and dynamic allocations of such frequencies.

When employing a bent-pipe repeater satellite system such as is used inthe Globalstar® system, generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,325,the Globalstar® satellites have a repeating transponder which convertsthe return link uplink frequencies from user terminals at L-band intoC-band downlink frequencies transmitted to the gateway. Since no onboardprocessing is employed in the Globalstar® satellite communicationsystem, it is possible to obtain a sufficient spectral analysis ofsignals being transmitted in the L-band uplink, including an attenuatedmeasure of the ATC signals that are being transmitted in the samefrequency band by analyzing a spectrum analyzer at C-band frequencies atthe gateway. The path losses and gains may be calibrated through asystem during initial system testing to determine the level of uplinksignal which appears at a given level as seen on a spectrum analyzer atthe gateway receive chain, such as at the intermediate frequency used inthe gateway. When the total level of signals received in a givenfrequency band at the satellite antenna at L-band exceeds apredetermined value, it is possible to observe that the gateway spectrumanalyzer power level exceeds a certain threshold. In such a case, thegateway communicates with the network control center to ensure that nofurther users, ATC or MSS, are to use this channel, thus ensuring a highquality of service to ATC as well as MSS users. Preferably, in amultibeam system such as the Globalstar® system, it is possible for thegateway to identify from which beam the high interference originated andthus, on a geographical basis, to determine what frequencies should beallocated to ATC base stations in that area on the reverse link.

Any suitable transceiver may be employed in the communications systemand method of the instant invention. Typical transceivers includetransceivers comprising a receiver and a transmitter such as the onedescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,286. These suitable transceivers may beemployed as either the first transceiver or the second transceiver inthe system of the instant invention.

Any suitable receiver may be employed in the transceiver of the instantinvention. Typical receivers include a satellite communicationsreceiver, a wireless receiver or a wireline communications receiver.

Any suitable transmitter may be employed in the system and method of theinstant invention. Typical transmitters include those used to transmitwireless or satellite or wireline communications.

Any suitable device that measures power may be employed in the systemand method of the instant invention. Typical measuring devices includepower meters, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers.

Any suitable satellite may be employed in the system and method of theinstant invention. Typical satellites include LEO satellites, with orwithout onboard processing, MEO and GEO satellites, with or withoutonboard processing. These satellites can range from very low poweredunits, for example, bent pipe repeaters, up to and including very highpowered satellites such as employed in GEO satellites.

Any suitable controller may be employed in the system and method of theinstant invention. Typical controllers include a computer programmed toperform the necessary control, or processors programmed to perform thenecessary control, or microcontrollers with firmware or hardwarecontrolled by a program that can be used to control the pathway of asignal or data stream.

Any suitable power measurement transmission device may be employed inthe system and method of the instant invention. Typical powermeasurement transmission devices include power meters, spectrumanalyzers, network analyzers.

Any suitable controller that receives power measurements may be employedin the system and method of the instant invention. Typical controllersinclude a computer programmed to perform the necessary control, orprocessors programmed to perform the necessary control, ormicrocontrollers with firmware or hardware controlled by a program thatcan be used to control the pathway of a signal or data stream.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above set forth and other features of the invention are made moreapparent in the ensuing Detailed Description of the Invention when readin conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an integrated MSS/ATC.

FIG. 2 illustrates an MSS/ATC system in a LEO constellation.

FIG. 3 illustrates improvement in MSS area.

FIG. 4A illustrates a transmission frequency determined for transceiver2 (100) for transmission to transceiver 1 (200).

FIG. 4B illustrates the determination of a transmission frequency fortransceiver 1 (200) for transmission to transceiver 2 (100).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

The system of the instant invention, which is set out above in preciseand accurate terms so as to enable one of ordinary skill in the art topractice same, will be better understood with reference to the followingexamples:

Example 1: An example application of FIG. 4A is one where transceiver 1is at the gateway of a satellite system such as the Globalstar® system,and transceiver 2 in the figure is at the user terminal of an MSS user.Here the gateway transceiver measures, with a spectrum analyzer, thepower levels in each frequency channel that it is receiving. Thesemeasurements, or a summary of these measurements, are then sent to theuser terminal (transceiver 2) which then decides to transmit on afrequency that has the least interference power as reported by thegateway in its summary of measurements. In this way, the user terminalis able to transmit with low power since it is using a relatively clearchannel to transmit on. When applied to multiple user terminals, thisresults in all these users from transmitting at the lowest power in thebest channels; i.e., the ones with the least interference.

Example 2: Another application of FIG. 4, which is described in FIG. 4B,would be similar to Example 1, with the difference that in this case thegateway makes the decision itself on what frequency is best for the userterminal to transmit on and merely sends this information on a controlchannel to the user terminal.

Example 3: Another application of FIG. 4B is similar to Example 2 abovein that the gateway measures power or signal-to-noise ratio orbit-error-rate in different frequency channels, decides that allfrequency channels are running close to their capacity limit, and thendirects the user terminal (transceiver 2) to go to the ATC componentrather than the satellite component. In a system like Globalstar®, thisis possible because the radiation in all frequencies, ATC or not, fromuser terminals in a satellite beam, are transmitted through thesatellite and received at the gateway. Thus, the gateway is in a goodposition to look at all the interference presented from all sources (ATCas well as MSS) and determine which frequency, if any, is available forMSS and, if none is available, to direct the user terminal to switch toATC mode. Likewise, when the gateway senses that any one of the channelsbecomes available due to some of its traffic being decreased, it cansend a control message to the user terminal directing it to go from ATCmode to satellite (MSS) mode.

FIG. 1 shows an integrated MSS/ATC system conceptually. In this system,a user terminal can be operated in either ATC mode or MSS mode. In theFigure, user terminal (1) is shown as operating in ATC mode; i.e.,communicating to and from an ATC base station (2). User terminal (3) isshown as operating in MSS mode. In this mode, the user terminaltransmits to and receives from a gateway (5) via satellite (4).Satellite (4) may be a GEO satellite, or one of a constellation of GEOor MEO or LEO satellites. The ATC base station potentially interfereswith the MSS downlink/uplink inside the ATC coverage area (6).

FIG. 2 shows an example of an MSS/ATC system that uses a LEOconstellation of satellites, some of which are shown as (11), (12),(13), (14), (15), (16). In this figure, the darker shaded zones (e.g.,zone 17) show normal full-spectrum MSS beams that are using all the MSSfrequency channels available. The lighter shaded zones (e.g., zone 18)show regions where worst case ATC frequency interference causes impairedMSS service in frequencies used for ATC.

FIG. 3 shows the same regions, but now with an improvement in MSS areaby assigning two separate frequencies dynamically to MSS and ATCsegments. In this figure, zones 20 use selected MSS frequencies viaselected satellites. Separate ATC frequencies are designated by dottedzones 30.

FIG. 4A shows a transmission frequency determined for transceiver 2(100) for transmission to transceiver 1 (200). In this case, receiver 1makes measurements on the signal it receives in various frequencychannels from transmitter 2 and sends these measurements to receiver 2which decides what frequency is best (least interference) fortransmitter 2 to transmit on.

FIG. 4B shows the determination of a transmission frequency fortransceiver 1 (200) for transmission to transceiver 2 (100). Herereceiver 2 makes measurements on the signal it receives in variousfrequency channels from transmitter 1, and uses these measurements todecide what frequency is best (least interference) for transmitter 1 totransmit on, and then sends this information about this best frequencyto transceiver 1.

While the present invention has been particularly described with respectto certain components in its preferred embodiment, it will be understoodthat the invention is not limited to these particular componentsdescribed in the preferred embodiments, or the sequence in employing ormethods of processing the components. On the contrary, it is intended tocover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may beincluded within the spirit and scope of the invention defined by theappended claims.

In addition, other components may be employed in the system of theinstant invention as claimed as well as variations and alternatives tothe components disclosed and claimed with similar results with regard tothe operation and function of the system of the instant invention. Inparticular, the scope of the invention is intended to include, forexample, GEO satellites equipped with dynamic beam forming which furtherenhances the performance of the system, or equipped with a Digitalprocessing Router (DCR) or employing virtual gateway techniques as setout in U.S. Pat. No. 6,735,440, especially in FIGS. 15B-C.

1. A communication system comprising: at least a first transceiverincluding at least a first receiver and at least a first transmitter; atleast a second transceiver including at least a second receiver and atleast a second transmitter; a device that measures power over afrequency band from sources other than those monitoring downlinkradiation received at a radio terminal from a satellite; a controllerthat receives and processes said measurements to determine in whichfrequency channel within the band a transmitter is to transmit; andwherein signal to noise ratio is measured instead of power.
 2. Thecommunication system as defined in claim 1 wherein said at least secondtransceiver transmits the said frequency channel to said at least firsttransceiver to determine frequency for said first transceiver totransmit to said second transceiver.
 3. A method for handing overwireless communications in a satellite communications system, thesatellite communications system comprising at least one satellite thatis configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one radio terminalin a satellite coverage area over a satellite frequency band and anancillary terrestrial component that is configured to wirelesslycommunicate with at least one radio terminal in the satellite coveragearea over at least some of the satellite frequency band, to therebyterrestrially reuse at least some of the satellite frequency band, thehandover method comprising: handing over wireless communications with aradio terminal from the ancillary terrestrial component to the satellitecomponent by determining which frequencies are more suitable or receiveless interference in a band by measuring the interference levels at eachfrequency at a gateway.
 4. A method for handing over wirelesscommunications in a satellite communications system, the satellitecommunications system comprising at least one satellite that isconfigured to wirelessly communicate with at least one radio terminal ina satellite coverage area over a satellite frequency band and anancillary terrestrial component that is configured to wirelesslycommunicate with at least one said radio terminal in the satellitecoverage area over at least some of the satellite frequency band, tothereby terrestrially reuse at least some of the satellite frequencyband, the handover method comprising: handing over wirelesscommunications with a radio terminal from the satellite component to theancillary terrestrial component by determining which frequencies aremore suitable or receive less interference in a band by measuring theinterference levels at each frequency at a gateway.
 5. The method asdefined in claim 3 wherein handing over comprises handing over wirelesscommunications with the radio terminal from the ancillary terrestrialcomponent to the satellite component when the radio terminal transmitpower exceeds a threshold, an aggregate radio terminal interferenceexceeds a limit and the satellite component signal quality exceeds athreshold, even though the radio terminal is able to wirelesslycommunicate with the ancillary terrestrial component.
 6. The method asdefined in claim 3 wherein handing over comprises handing over wirelesscommunications with the radio terminal from the ancillary terrestrialcomponent to the satellite component if the radio terminal transmitpower exceeds a threshold, the satellite component signal qualityexceeds a threshold and the radio terminal is at least a predetermineddistance away from the ancillary terrestrial component when the radioterminal is able to wirelessly communicate with the ancillaryterrestrial component.
 7. A communication system comprising: at least afirst transceiver including at least a first receiver and at least afirst transmitter; at least a second transceiver including at least asecond receiver arid at least a second transmitter; said at least secondtransceiver measures the power over a frequency band; a controller insaid at least second transceiver that receives said measurements todetermine which frequency channel within a band the at least first saidtransmitter is to transmit on; and said at least second transmittertransmits the said frequency channel information to said at least firsttransceiver.
 8. The communication system as defined in claim 7 whereinsaid at least second transceiver communicates with a plurality of atleast a first set of transceivers.
 9. The communication system asdefined in claim 7 wherein the at least second transceiver measures theinterference or power from each transceiver in the at least first set oftransceivers.